Combination inflatable and hard shelters



Feb. 24, 1970 B. CAMINKER T 3,497,606

COMBINATION INFLATABLE AND HARD SHELTERS F iled Oct. 11, 1967 I SSheets-Sheet l Mzvmex fizz/map Jam/x5e,

14 $4 444. Amaze/w,

475% #1410, ZQA MAM'Zaaaaua ,4//e/1 4. O/aze 472-,

1 Feb. 24, 1970 a. CAMINKER FTAL 3,497,606

COMBINATION INFLATABLE AND HARD SHELTERS Filed Oct. 11, 196'? sSheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 24, 1970 B. CAMINKER ET AL COMBIKATION INFLATABLEAND HARD Filed 001;. 11, 1967 SHELTERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 UnitedStatesPatent M US. Cl. 174-35 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The jointureof two shelters, each comprising a rigid structure in combination withan inflatable structure attached thereto, is accomplished by associatingtwo such combinations so that the inflatable roofs lie next to eachother, and are secured together by securely lacing the roofs. The spacebetween the solid floors is spanned by a tread plate which is arrangedfor accommodating minor differences in floor spacing and floor level.The uninflated inflatable interior sidewalls are pulled up adjacent tothe roof, to provide a single large interior room within the two joinedinflatable structures. End walls, between the hard structures, areclosed by a closure curtain sewed in place. When required, radio fieldgrounding liner can be secured over the closure curtain, over the floorplate and under the raised sidewalls to maintain integrity of a radiofrequency interference liner.

The invention herein described was made in the course of or under acontract or subcontract thereunder, with the US. Air Force, Departmentof Defense.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention is in the field of readilytransported shelters Which can be put in use by unfolding rigid floorpanels and inflating shelter walls and shelter roof to provide acompletely enclosed shelter.

From earliest times portable shelters have been used by mankind toprotect himself from the elements. With technological improvements,these portable shelters have progressed from skin covered poles tofabric tents, and in recent years unfolding solid shelters as well asinflatable structures have come into use. Furthermore, in someapplications, shelters having some solid walls have been used to carryan associated inflatable shelter. The structure is normally transportedas a package having solid walls, and one or more of these walls may beunfoldable to form a floor for the inflatable section. Furthermore, theinflatable section, in the deflated condition may be carried within therigid portion of the shelter. When the site is reached with the shelter,one of the hard shelter walls can be unfolded to form a floor for theinflatable portion, and thereupon the inflatable portion is brought outof the hard portion and inflated to form the total shelter. Such acombination is ideal for many purposes, because it is capable of beingtransported in a compact, yet well protected condition, and is readilyexpandable into a combination hard and inflatable shelter having 2considerable interior space.

One of the prime disadvantages of such a combined hard and inflatableshelter is that it must be fairly well integrated so that the partscooperate with each other to provide the necessary closure from theelements. This integrity which produces protection from the elementsestablishes the size of the expanded, inflated structure. It is thisadvantage that is overcome by the present invention.

il-i) 3,497,606 Patented Feb. 24, 1970 Accordingly, the object of thisinvention is to provide a structure which is comprised of a hard shelterand an inflatable shelter in conjunction with each other which can beassociated with an additional similar unit to provide a joined shelterof enhanced floor space and volume, yet with full protection against theelements. It is the further object of this invention to provide ajuncture between the inflatable roofs of shelters, which junctureprotects against the elements, and completely seals the juncture. It isthe further object of this invention to provide for joining betweenassociated adjacent hard flooring sections which have been folded out ofadjacent hard shelters so that the flooring of the joined combinationinflatable and hard shelters is substantially continuous. Another objectof this invention to provide for the raising of the interior side-wallsof the joined inflatable shelters so that a single large interior spaceresults. Still another object of this invention to provide for thelining of the joined shelters with radio-frequency interference materialwhich provides radio-frequency interference lining integrity throughoutthe joined shelters. Other objects and advantages of this invention willbecome apparent from the study of the following portion of thespecification, the claims and the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showingcombination inflatable and hard shelters joined together.

FIGURE 2 is a horizontal section through the joined shelters, takengenerally along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged section showing the floor plate joining adjacentfloors, taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2,.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged portion of FIG. 2. showing the juncture andclosure between the adjacent hard shelters.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged vertical section taken through the juncture ofthe engaged adjoining inflatable roofs, and showing the raised interiorsidewalls.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As is seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, thejoined combination hard and inflatable shelter is generally indicated10. The joined combination 10 comprises two combination hard andinflatable shelters, indicated at 12 and 14. Shelter 12 is made up ofhard shelters 16 and 18, together with inflatable shelter 20. Similarly,combination shelter 14 is made up of hard shelters 22 and 24, togetherwith inflatable shelter 26.

Considering the combined hard and inflatable shelter 14, it arrives atthe site as two closed boxes, which form the hard shelters 22 and 24.One of these shelters carries the inflatable structure 26, and suchother equipment as may be required in the deployed shelter, while theother of these hard shelters simply carries additional equipment. Thehard shelters are of such size that they can be managed with convenienttransportation equipment, and preferably, are such that they can betransported upon fairly light trucks. When it is desired that theshelters be erected for usage, shelters 22 and 24 are oriented withrespect to each other. Thereupon, floors are unfolded. Preferably, thesefloors were originally positioned as sidewalls of the hard shelters 22and 24. Floor panels 28, 30, 32 and 34 thus form the hard floor. Whenthese are unfolded so that they meet in edgewise relation, theinflatable shelter 26 is appropriately secured to the floor edges, aswell as to the ends and roofs of the hard shelters 22 and 24. Thereupon,the inflatable portion is inflated to form the combination hard andinflatable shelter. This shelter has a roof 36 as well as sidewalls 38and 40. Similarly, the inflatable structure 20 of combination hard 3 andinflatable shelter 12 comprises roof 42 and sidewalls 44 and 46. Thepanels folded out of hard shelters 16 and 18 form floor 50.

When it is desired that two combination hard and inflatable shelterssuch as 12 and 14 be joined, the hard shelters are appropriatelypositioned adjacent to each other upon initial setup. Thus, shelter 16is spaced from shelter 22, while shelter 18 is spaced from shelter 24 anappropriate distance so that roofs 36 and 40 will abut each other wheninflated. However, previous to inflation, the gap between floors 48 and50 is bridged by means of floor plate 52, see FIG. 3. Floor plate 52spans the gap between floors 48 and 50, and is sufllciently thin at itslateral edges so that flanges 54 and 56 can overlie the adjacent floorswithout presenting an excessive obstruction. Flanges 54 and 56 aresufficiently long so that there is quite a wide tolerance in thepositioning of floors 48 and 50 with respect to each other, insofar asthe space therebetween is concerned. Furthermore, flanges 54 and 56respectively carry cylindrical knobs 58 and 60 at their ends. Theseknobs permit floors 48 and 50 to lie a small distance out of the commonplane without causing the ends of the flanges 54 and 56 from risingabove contact with the respective floors.

Floors 48 and 50 are covered with floor covering 60 and 62 respectivelyand if continuity of floor covering is desired, an extra strip of floorcovering 66 can be laid over floor plate 52 to overlap some of the floorcovering of 62 and 64. Such is especially desirable when radiofrequencyradiation into or out of shelter must be attenuated as much as ispractical. In that case, floor coverings 62, 64 and 66 are suitablematerial to attenuate such radiation. Furthermore, in such case, floorcoverings 62 and 64 are joined to their respective outer sidewalls 40and 44, which are also lined with suitable radio-frequency attenuatingmaterial.

As is seen in FIG. 4, the interior facing open sides of hard shelters1'6 and 22, and 18 and 24, are also joined to close the interior of thesheltered area against the exterior weather. This is accomplished byclosure curtains 68 and 70 which are strapped together by lacing 72.Closure curtains 68 and 70 are secured on the interior of the hardshelters 24 and 18, respectively, and thus these curtains hold theshelters with respect to each other. Similar curtains are positioned onthe other ends of each of these shelters adjacent to the open face andare respectively secured to sidewalls 40 and 44 to maintain integrity atthat joint between the hard and inflatable portions of the shelters.

In view of the fact that lacing 72 cannot completely close the spacebetween curtains 68 and 70, liners 74 and 76 are also secured to thehard shelters on the interior thereof adjacent to the open sides. Liners74 and 76 are preferably of such nature as to attenuate radio-frequencysignals, and thus these provide the necessary attenuation of thisjuncture.

Liners 74 and 76 are secured together by means of zipper 78, but toassure complete radio-frequency attenuation lining continuity,additional securement is provided at 80. The securing means indicated at80 is preferably Velcro, a trademark for securing means which comprisesa layer of looped pile on one side and a layer of resilient hook shapedpile on the other. When these two layers are pressed together, the hooksengage with the loops and retain the structures together. The loops aresufficiently resilient so that when pulled apart, the hooks resilientlystraighten out to release the looped pile side. This securing means iscommercially available, and will be identified below as Velcro. The twosides of Velcro 80 are secured to flaps which are secured to linters 74and 76. Thus, the liners are completely sealed together.

The manner in which the inflatable roofs 36 and 42 are joined isillustrated in FIG. 5. These roofsrespectively have tying structures 82and 84 sewn on the tops of the outer tubes, as is illustrated in thisfigure. The tying structures are fabric webs which are shaped ascatenaries to the tie points. Lacing 86 engages the typing points tohold the inflatable roof tubes together. In fact, lacing 86 is appliedbefore the roof tubes are inflated, and subsequent inflation causesconsiderable distortion of the outer surfaces to provide a tight seal.Additionally, flexible waterproof rain gutter 88 can be positioned toprevent water seepage through this butt joint between the inflated rooftubes.

In order to provide full space within the interior of he joined shelter10, the interior sidewalls 38 and 46 are raised as is illustrated inFIG. 5. The sidewalls are in the form of vertically oriented tubes whichare secured to each other. When uninflated, they are suflicientlyflexible to be capable of being raised adjacent the roof, as isillustrated. The sidewalls 38 and 46 are retained in the raised positionby means of a plurality of crosspieces 90 which lie thereunder.Crosspieces 90 are held in place by retainers 92 and 94.

As has been previously described, a radio-frequency attenuating liningis positioned on the floor, over the floor plate joining the floors andat the junctures between the hard shelters. Additionally, the interiorsof the hard shelters are appropriately lined with attenuating lining, asare the interiors of the walls and roofs of the inflatable shelters.Such linings are shown at 96 and 98 where they are zipped against theroof structure by zippers 100 and 102. Liner extension 104 extends fromliner 96 to liner 98 beneath the raised walls and crosspieces 90. Theliner extension 104 is secured by zipper 106 and by Velcro securingmeans 108. By this means integrity of the radio frequency attenuatinglining is assured throughout the shelter 10 even though it is formed ofjoined shelters 12 and 14. Furthermore, the joined shelter isweathertight and provides a very satisfactory shelter from the elements.

In addition to the structure which employs two joined shelters 12 and14, it is clear that more can be joined in sidewise relationship withraised interior sidewalls so that an even larger protected space can beobtained. This larger protected space has all the advantages of thedescribed shelter 10, including weathertight character and attenuationof radio-frequency interference. This latter is especially importantwhen the shelter is used in situations where electronic equipment ispositioned within the shelter, such electronic equipment requiringshielding either from external radio interference, or needs shielding toprevent the generated signals in the equipment from extending to asubstantial extent outside of the shelter. Furthermore, the shelters,either as a single combination hard and inflatable shelter or as ajoined combination, as shown and described, can be quickly and easilyset up and quickly and easily taken down so that the shelters have atremendous amount of mobility yet provide excellent sheltering results.

This invention having been described in a preferred embodiment, itisclear that it is susceptible to numerous modifications and embodimentswithin the skill of the routine engineer and without the exercise of theinventive faculty. Accordingly, the scope of this invention is definedby the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A shelter, said shelter comprising:

first and second joined shelters, each of said first and second joinedshelters comprising combination hard and inflatable shelters;

each of said hard shelters having an open side, said open sides of saidfirst and second hard shelters facing in the same direction;

said first and second hard shelters being spaced from each other, firstand second closure curtains respe c tively secured to said first andsecond hard shelters. said first and second closure curtains beingsecured to each other to close said first and second hard shelters withrespect to each other;

first and second floors respectively extending from said first andsecond hard shelters, said first and second inflatable sheltersrespectively extending from said first and second hard shelters andextending across said first and second floors, respectively;

each of said first and second inflatable shelters having an inflatableroof, said first and second inflatable roofs being in edgewise-abuttingrelationship, said first and second inflatable roofs being securedtogether to form a joined roof for said'cornbined shelter.

2. The shelter of claim 1 wherein first and second liners arerespectively secured to said first and second hard shelters, securingmeans on each of said first and second liners, said securing means oneach of said first and second liners being secured together so as toprovide a continuous lining between said first hard shelter and saidsecond hard shelter.

3. The shelter of claim 2 wherein said first and second liners are eachmade of radio-frequency attenuating material so that radio-frequencyattenuating material extends between said first hard shelter and saidsecond hard shelter.

4. A shelter, said shelter comprising:

first and second joined shelters, each of said first and second joinedshelters comprising combination hard and inflatable shelters;

first and second floors respectively extending from said first andsecond hard shelters;

first and second inflatable shelters respectively extending from saidfirst and second hard shelters and extending across said first andsecond floors, respectively;

each of said first and second inflatable shelters having inflatableroof, said first and second inflatable roofs being in edgewise-abuttingrelationship, said first and second inflatable roofs being securedtogether to form a joined roof for said combined shelter;

said first inflatable roof carrying a first interior sidewall and saidsecond inflatable roof carrying a second interior sidewall, said firstand second interior sidewalls lying substantially next to each otherwhen said first and second inflatable roofs are secured together.

5. The shelter of claim 4 wherein said interior sidewalls arerespectively raised adjacent to first and second roofs, securing meansfor retaining said raised first and second interior sidewalls adjacentto said first and second roofs.

6. The shelter of claim 5 wherein said first and second sidewallsecuring means comprises a retainer secured to each of said first andsecond roofs.

7. The shelter of claim 6 wherein crosspieces are sup 'ported by saidretainer, said crosspieces extending beneath said first and secondsidewalls.

8. The shelter of claim 5 wherein a liner extends under each of saidfirst and second roofs and beneath said first and second raisedsidewalls.

9. The shelter of claim 8 wherein said liner is a radiofrequencyattenuating liner.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 559,966 5/1896 Bierstadt 52-681,302,182 4/1919 Lanchester 52-2 1,348,396 8/1920 Dubee 52471 2,955,60610/1960 Walker 9-11.1 2,961,802 11/1960 Mongan -1 3,047,860 7/ 1962Swallow 52-2 3,130,406 4/1964 Jones-Hinton 9-11.1 3,247,627 4/1966 Bird52-2 2,516,869 8/1950 Harris 135-1 3,227,169 1/1966 Fischer 52-23,393,479 7/1968 Slotnick 52-2 FOREIGN PATENTS 690,817 7/ 1964 Canada.

HENRY C. SUTHERLAND, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 52-2, 86

